Tree detective

About a year ago I started noticing trees. Rather, I started noticing how much I did not know about trees. The kids would ask me, "What's that tree?" and unless it was a pine, my answer was always, "I dunno."

Because I hate appearing like a moron to my kids, I embarked on a project to identify the most common trees and birds of our area. Well, that little project has blossomed into a full-blown Nature Society for our local homeschool group, and my initial curiosity has grown into a bookshelf of field guides.

One of my big questions, after I could cautiously identify most trees, was how to tell what a tree is in winter -- most tree ids are done by leaves. But if there are no leaves, how could I identify a tree? Would I have to spend six months of the year answering, "I dunno"?

Luckily, no. I can look smart year-round in a couple ways. One is by id-ing unusual bark, such as the peeling bark of a River Birch or the shaggy bark of a Shagbark Hickory.

Another way to tell is by spring blossoms. Dogwoods and Eastern Redbuds are easily identifiable.

Peeling bark of a River Birch, Betula nigra

Eastern Redbud, cercis canadensis, with flowers and seed pods still attached

Pink Flowering Dogwood, cornus florida